Planners Which One & Why I Pick Erin Condren

Planners Which One & Why I Pick Erin Condren

Planners are one of the best ways to deal with life, but why? Planning is key to everything in life:

Parties

Weddings

School

Work

This is my Erin Condren Planner personalized cover

Activities

Recipes

Vacations

Cleaning

Blogging

Presents

Scrapbooking

Interior Design

Shopping

Appointments

Bills/Budgets

Maybe you are the type who can succeed flying by the seat of your pants, but not me. I need to write everything down or I forget. The busier a person is, the more stuff they can handle. I can do a lot, but if I’m not organized, I actually just sit there and truly do nothing. Which is unheard of for a Type A person like me. Most busy people keep planners on them at all times. They just find what works for them.

“Okay, you said you picked the Erin Condren Planner. Why?” Patience my dear goddesses. Let’s chat over some coffee a bit first.

My Confession

Just between you and me, I almost lost some important paperwork. I had totally forgotten I brought home to work on. I had to remove it for traveling to a different client (confidentiality you see), and I put it somewhere safe. Of course, I forgot where I put it; out of sight, out of mind. I was in a panic. I spent the better part of the day trying to remember what was in the notes to type up a paper, and searching my desk, my filing cabinets, even the shred bin for it (which over 100 people share!) If I had only written down in my work planner that I had taken it home to work on because of a short deadline, I would have realized today I had left it at home, and would have worked on it tomorrow instead.

“Okay, I get it, a planner might be important for me. Let’s hear about this Erin Condren Planner that you have chosen as YOUR goddess tool.” Wait for it. It will be totally worth the wait!

Types of Planners

This is an example of at-a-glance planners. From www.Staples.com

To Do Lists on Paper

Pros –

They can work if you have small tasks.

It’s fun to cross it off the list.

You get to throw the paper away when everything is complete.

Cons –

It can get tiresome if you have to keep writing the same tasks over and over.

They could end up all over the house because you misplaced it and started over.

Plain Notebook

Pros –

They can work if you have small tasks.

It’s fun to cross it off the list.

You can decorate it any way you want and have some fun with it.

Cons –

It can get tiresome if you have to keep writing the same tasks over and over.

It may not work if you need to do certain things on certain days or dates. Don’t even get me started about appointment times!

Phones

Pros –

There are all kinds of planner apps and to do list apps out there.

They could be free if you don’t need too many bells and whistles.

Is a great thing if you are computeral (is that even a word?)

Cons –

The learning curve.

If you are not computer savvy (like me), these would totally make you more unorganized than you already are.

Planners

This is the classic Day-Timer Planner (pretty expensive stuff). From www.daytimers.com

“Yeah! Erin Condren!” No wait a few more sentences, my dear goddesses! I will talk to you about my favorite planner (Erin Condren), but I will first mention some planners I’ve used in the past. There are all kinds of planners out there. Here’s just a couple options for you to contemplate before you purchase a planner.

Horizontal (for lots of details) or Vertical (for bullet lists).

Dated or Undated (who wants to waste time putting in the dates).

Cheap or Expensive (they can range from $5 to $75+).

Business look or Fun (it would depend on your style).

A simple one type of page per book (for simplicity sake) or Lots of different sections for different tasks (for multitasking planners).

Structured (best for a work planner) or Freeform (make it your own).

One page per day, or Weekly, or even Monthly, every two pages.

A monthly planner like you can get at Staples is very good for work projects. The most common one found is the At-A-Glance. They can have times for appointments or not. They may or may not have a to do list area. Multiple sizes

The Passion Planner. From www.passionplanner.com

Day-Timers is coming down in price, but it used to be THE planner for important people. And I think it is still the most expensive one. Staples carries some. Lots of area for appointments, but their To Do area is too small, or is in a different section. All kinds of sizes and covers and prices. (FYI, Franklin Covey is similar)

The Passion Planner is kind of cute if you like a diary type of planner. Plenty of To-Do spots, goals, quotes, etc. Classy looking Two sizes only.

You can choose either the horizontal or vertical format. The vertical is unique because it’s broken down into three untitled sections. You can use morning, afternoon and night. Or you can title it with the three most important sections of your life. I use author, blog, and home. You could use exercise, diet, and to-do. Or school, home and work. The possibilities are endless.

Weekly view of Erin Condren. I use stickies until i do it, then formalize in pen.

The binding is rings, but they are not the flimsy plastic kind, it is a heavy-duty coil made of metal.

There is plenty of room for decorating with stickers and washi tape if that will keep you inspired to use it (it does for me!) It seems like that is the way to go nowadays. The website has some decorating stuff for purchase, but you can find what you want anywhere from Target to Etsy.

Dashboards you can use with dry erase markers for extra lists or place holders.

Coil Clips so you can add additional items (like a favorite photo of your kid) into the planner.

The best part? Totally customizable covers! They have like 80 different covers, and many of them can be color customized as well. AND… You can have the cover personalized with your name at no extra cost (just a little extra time to create). AND… the planner does not come apart, but they have designed the covers so you can replace them! You could purchase one for each season, like a wardrobe change. I have three covers, and my website and favorite anagram are the customization.

Monthly view of the Erin Condren Planner. Not too full, but you could do so much more!

My only wish would be to have more blank pages in the back. I have To-Do lists that last all year.

It is a little more expensive that average, but as I have purchased the expensive ones as well, I don’t see the big deal for what you get.

Right now they don’t have a customer service line that I know of, but if you email them, they will contact you.

Many people have complained about the time it takes to get their planner or the order is wrong, but I have had nothing but perfection. I guess it’s like any online purchase in that aspect.

So there you have it. Planners are an important tool for any goddess to have. What kind do you like? How will you use it? Pick one up, and I will bet you won’t know how you survived without one!

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About Hestia Athena

I dare to be different. I like the old days, when we did things ourselves and were proud of it! We have enough people in the world who choose to be just like everyone else. Stop following the crowd and put your stamp on the world. At least put your stamp on your world. Give your home your character. Your creativity. Your heart. Vive la difference!